In large scale object oriented software design, large numbers of interrelated objects are present in a development environment. A Mapping Tool may consist of two vertical tables next to each other, one side showing source objects and the other side showing target objects. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of this tool. On the left hand side of the FIG. 1 example are source objects and on the right hand side target objects. Each table displays items (e.g., in a hierarchy) with folders and subfolders. The displayed hierarchy can include enormous numbers of objects, as software development progresses, and becomes increasingly complex. Therefore it is commonly the case that the hierarchies are much larger than the displayed items on the screen. Thus, viewing the whole hierarchy requires substantial scrolling with the limited view, as is known in the art.
This mapping tool may be used to establish, delete, or check connections between the items displayed in the tables. If only one or two connections have to be established, deleted, or checked, such a user interface may suffice and the mapping task may be easily performed. However, in the case of IDEs (Integrated Development Environments), hierarchies are far more complex. The user in this case may need to check, establish, or delete many connections between the items. Further, the user may now face the problem of losing focus and orientation, since the user may need to scroll up and down to get a full view of the hierarchies. The tool may allow a user to select a source object, which may highlight the connected target objects, e.g., as illustrated in FIG. 1. However, to find the different mapped items or items to be mapped, the user still has to scroll through the entire viewing area. For example, the highlighted source object in FIG. 1 may be connected to five or even some much larger number of target objects, but only three are currently visible. To find the others, the user must scroll through the entire viewing area, without overlooking an occurrence (i.e., a desired object) and without forgetting the initial occurrences while searching for subsequent target objects.
What is needed is a quick view of the set of connected target objects, while maintaining the full hierarchy view of all the target objects. Example embodiments of the present disclosure propose such a mapping tool enhancement.